1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for splitting tablets and/or positioning a split tablet within a capsule.
2. The Relevant Technology
New drugs typically need to pass through stringently controlled drug trials before they can be marketed. During the drug trials, the drug is administered to a defined group of patients and the effects of the drug are monitored. As part of the testing procedure, a select portion of the patients are administered a placebo so that a comparison can be made between those who actually receive the drug and those who simply believe they are receiving the drug.
Another method of testing a drug is through comparison studies. In this process a drug is compared to a competitor's drug or to a prior version of the drug. Comparison studies are also performed by administering the two drugs to different groups of patients and then monitoring the effects of the drugs.
To effectively administer a placebo or drug comparison, it is necessary that the dosage forms for the drugs and the placebo look identical so that the patients are unable to determine which drug they are receiving or whether they are receiving a drug or a placebo.
Dosage forms for drugs are typically manufactured in the form of tablets. Depending on the properties of a drug, however, the appearance, texture, and/or taste of the drug can make it difficult to reproduce a placebo tablet having the same properties as a drug tablet. Likewise, it can be difficult to make two tablets having the same above properties where the tablets are comprised of different drugs. Furthermore, it can be expensive to try and reproduce placebo tablets or other drug tablets so as to have the same form and properties as a multitude of different drug tablets.
In one approach to solve the above problems, tablets of a first drug are placed within opaque capsules which hide the drug. Placebos or tablets of a second drug are then placed within identical capsules so that the patients are unable to determine which drug the capsules contain or whether the capsules contain a placebo.
One difficulty with this approach, however, is that tablets are sometimes formed having a diameter that is larger than the opening for conventional capsules. To facilitate position of tablets within capsules, manual splitters have been designed where a user manually splits each tablet one at a time. The user then picks up the split tablet portions and positions them within a capsule. This process is slow, highly labor intensive, and is not always effective in ensuring the complete tablet is positioned within a capsule.
Accordingly, what is needed are efficient ways for rapidly splitting tablets and positioning the tablets within corresponding capsules.